Which to use
“alimentaba” and “alimentar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,040
- “alimentaba” frequency rank
- #7,510
- “alimentar” frequency rank
- 46550
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alimentaba | alimentar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alimentar. | Dar comida o alimentos. |
Where the eye mixes alimentaba and alimentar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. alimentaba runs 10 letters (VCVCVCCVCV) against alimentar's 9 (VCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between alimentaba and alimentar
A purely visual mix-up. alimentaba ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and alimentar ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46550, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alimentaba is recorded at frequency rank #39,040, classified as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. alimentar is at rank #7,510, tagged as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 46550, this pair ranks #125,088 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alimentaba vs alimentar
Shared letters: aeilmnt. Private to "alimentaba": b. Private to "alimentar": r.
"alimentaba" · 10 letters · shape VCVCVCCVCV · "alimentar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- alimentaba ← ailmentaba · aliemntaba · alimenatba · alimenntaba · alimentaab · alimentabba · alimentava · alimentbaa
- alimentar ← ailmentar · aliemntar · alimenatr · alimenntar · alimentarr · alimentra · alimenttar · alimetnar
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alimentaba" and "alimentar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "alimentaba" or "alimentar" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alimentaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alimentar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #125,088 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alimentaba" and "alimentar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alimentaba vs alimentadas". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #125,088 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.